Diada: Fossar de les Moreres becomes flashpoint between Aliança Catalana and CUP

Fossar de les Moreres becomes the flashpoint of Catalonia's Diada

This 11 September, Catalonia's national day once again turns its gaze to the Fossar de les Moreres. The day arrives with the most symbolic site of Catalan nationalism turned into contested ground: Aliança Catalana has announced its event there, and the CUP, together with its satellite organisations, has spent months warning that it will not allow the gathering to go ahead peacefully. What in other years was a commemoration, this year reads as an announced showdown.

From symbolic event to expected clash

The tension is nothing new. Since April, Arran, the youth wing linked to the CUP, has been announcing mobilisations against the presence of Sílvia Orriols's party in the square. In the months leading up, there have already been incidents at Aliança Catalana's stalls, and in recent hours reports have circulated about the hiring of former members of ultra groups as alleged security for the event. Around twenty buses are said to be arranged to bring supporters to Barcelona, in addition to those already moving within the metropolitan area.

Who polices the square: the Mossos d'Esquadra

Control of the space rests with the Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's police force, which decides what is allowed and what is shut down. The first clashes have already taken place, with confrontations between officers and antifascist groups. It is not the first time the square has seen similar episodes: in previous years there were brawls between youth wings of different pro-independence parties.

An 11 September that overlaps with other dates

The day coincides with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York and with the recent release of 'Cronos', the documentary revisiting the 17-A attacks on Las Ramblas. For some of the public, it is mere coincidence; for others, dates are never neutral.

It remains to be seen how many people actually show up, whether the security details materialise, and where the police draw the line between protest and public order. Neither the organisers nor the Mossos have finalised anything.